


As long as we're being honest

by D_melanogaster



Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: Everyone Needs A Hug, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Lucifer Morningstar (Lucifer TV) Needs A Hug, Post-Season 5A, Temporary Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:28:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26200105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/D_melanogaster/pseuds/D_melanogaster
Summary: It can be difficult to talk to old friends, at least about any of the things that actually matter.Sometimes you might even have to die to make it happen.Or: Lucifer and Maze, and a lot of things that have gone unsaid.
Relationships: Chloe Decker/Lucifer Morningstar, Mazikeen & Lucifer Morningstar (Lucifer TV)
Comments: 33
Kudos: 160





	As long as we're being honest

**Author's Note:**

> I watched season 5 and got pretty intense feelings about Lucifer and Maze and their friendship, and somehow this happened. Post-season 5A but very hand-wavy about how it ended. Also, I love the Sandman comics, so Lucifer's powers and names are mostly based on that.

The Detective called him, that morning, before he'd had a chance to leave for the precinct. He'd just finished buttoning up his shirt, and was reaching for the cuff links when his phone rang.

"Good morning, Detective," he said, "did you enjoy movie night with Beatrice?"

"Hi, Lucifer," she replied, and he could hear the smile in her voice. "Yeah, we had fun. You'll have to join us for the next one, though. We missed your commentary. But listen, I called to say that we've got a body, will you come meet me at the scene?"

"Your wish is my command, Detective. What's the address?"

And it was a morning like any other for Lucifer Morningstar, planning to meet his girlfriend at a crime scene to help solve a murder. It was a beautiful day in L.A., he looked fabulous as usual, and he was feeling great. And later, he would wonder how it was that he had no idea of what he was about to walk into.

**

The traffic was horrid, so even though the crime scene was fairly close to Lux, he arrived later than he'd estimated. The Detective was already there; so were Daniel and Miss Lopez, all three with their backs to him, huddled by the body, which had been covered with a sheet. The scene was a side alley between a Chinese restaurant and a laundromat.

The uniformed officers had cleared the street in front of the alley, but there was a crowd of curious onlookers gathered behind the police tape. Lucifer had to push them aside to make it through.

"The stench here is unbelievable. The restaurant must survive on deliveries only," said Lucifer as he ducked under the tape, but the rest of his words got stuck in his throat when his friends turned to him. "What's going on?"

They all looked to be in shock, and Lucifer closed the few feet of distance to the Detective automatically, to put his hands on her shoulders in an instinct to comfort her. Chloe had to take a fortifying breath and a moment to wipe tears from her face before she could look at Lucifer.

"I'm so sorry, Lucifer," she said, her voice hoarse and small. "I'm sorry. But it's Maze."

The icy grasp of fear his friends' reactions had brought loosened its hold on his insides at that. It couldn't be so bad, if it was just something about Maze.

"All right. What's she done now? Is she the suspect?" he asked.

Miss Lopez opened her mouth to respond, but couldn't speak and burst into tears instead. Daniel was holding himself together better, but his eyes were red and his hands shaking.

"No, man. She's the victim. Six gun shot wounds and a knife to the chest," said Daniel, speaking in a gentler tone than he'd ever aimed at Lucifer before. _Pitying_ him. "She's gone, Lucifer. I'm sorry."

"What?" asked Lucifer, and the word came out as a bark of disbelieving laughter. "Are you joking?"

He made to move closer to the covered body, but Chloe grabbed hold of his arms.

"It's really her. And there's something wrong with her face, too," she said, her voice forced calm but her hands grasping tightly, bunching the sleeves of his jacket in her fists. "You don't need to see her like that."

"Let go of me, please," said Lucifer, stepping back. She did, and he took a few steps to go around her, to the side of the victim. "There's clearly some mistake here, Detective."

And over their strangled protests, he grabbed hold of the sheet and yanked it off the body - and then froze, to see it was indeed Mazikeen. Dressed in black leather, with her own blade still in her. Struck in the heart. She was lying entirely still, not breathing, with her glamour gone, half her face whole, the other half missing the skin.

He let out another shocked bark of laughter at the sight.

"All right, that's quite enough of this now, Maze," he said, and poked at her side with the toe of his shoe. "Joke's over, time to get up."

She didn't move, so he shoved her a bit harder with his foot.

"Lucifer, _stop_ ," cried out Chloe behind him. "It's not a trick!"

"Isn't it?" he asked, still laughing. "Mazikeen of the Lilim? Stabbed with her own blade? There is not a force on this Earth that would be capable of it."

And yet, there she was. Lying in a pool of her own blood. Her hair was wet with it, too, and when Lucifer kneeled next to her, he could feel his trousers soaking it up.

"Come on now, Mazikeen," he said, giving her cheek a gentle pat. "I know you're still angry with me, but I mean it, that's enough."

But his voice broke over the words, because her skin was freezing. He reached his hand lower, to her chest.

No heartbeat.

"Maze?" he asked, distantly aware of Miss Lopez's sobs and Chloe's sniffles behind him. "Mazikeen. Get up. Please."

But she didn't. Of course she didn't. She was gone.

_Gone_. Mazikeen. His Maze.

And there was a rage like none other welling up in Lucifer, when he grasped the blade in her chest and pulled it out, and rose back to his feet.

"Who did this?" he asked, turning to face the Detective, his voice colder than the void between worlds. "Who dared touch her?"

Chloe was crying in earnest now, hugging her arms around herself, leaning on Daniel, who had an arm wrapped around the shoulders of Miss Lopez. And moments ago Lucifer's instinct had been to comfort, but now he paid no notice, there was no room for their grief in him.

The uniformed officers had been keeping a respectful distance; everyone knew that Mazikeen Smith and Lucifer Morningstar were old friends, after all. But another detective had arrived, and was bravely pushing forward now.

"Sir, I'm afraid you need to leave. The scene needs to be properly processed, and I'm sorry for your loss, but you can't work this case. And you need to give the knife back," she said. Lucifer knew that he knew the name of this detective, had joked with her at the station only the day before, but now she was nothing but a gnat, an annoyance to be brushed away to deal with the important things.

"You will not come near her," he said, his voice rumbling deep, the tone for commands from the Lord of Hell. "This is not your jurisdiction."

"Lucifer," said Dan, still gentle, his voice shaking. "Step away, please. Let them do their jobs."

" _No_ ," sneered Lucifer, pulling himself up to his full height, feeling a flicker of hellfire burn his eyes. "This is Mazikeen of the Lilim, the most loyal of demons, who has been by my side for billions of years. I set her free from my service, but she is of Hell, and I am still its king. And I will _not_ \- I will not _leave her_ in the hands of mortals."

Lucifer took a deep breath to steady himself, shaking with unbridled rage, feeling like the words were choking him; and the breath brought him another lungful of the stench of the alley.

It really was horrid.

Hellish, even.

"If you'll excuse me," he said, an unsteady plan forming in his mind, the desperate hope that maybe, _maybe_ he could still set this right. He'd never tried it before, but he was the First among the Fallen. This was, by the very definition, his stock-in-trade. "I do believe I'm required elsewhere."

And he grabbed hold of the body of his wayward demon, and to the shock of the onlookers, had them both vanish from the scene.

**

He brought Maze to his penthouse. He laid her gently on his bed, and removed her boots.

He wasn't quite sure why he did that. There was just a persistent thought at the back of his mind that she'd be more comfortable without them. That the soft sheets would feel more pleasant.

She hadn't been to his home since Michael. Not to Lux, either; not anywhere where Lucifer had been. He'd hurt her, in the fight before his Father had shown up, and she'd healed but she'd been upset with him. About that, and about her mother, and about not having a soul.

He'd let her be, thinking they'd have time to sort it out later. Thinking she just needed to cool off, and honestly, that he needed a timeout, too. It had stung, that she sided with Michael.

Funny, that. He suddenly found he didn't care about it at all.

He took a seat on the side of the bed, and gently brushed a strand of hair away from Maze's face. He used his left hand, as the right was still clutching her blade.

"Azrael," he said out loud, his voice hoarse as if he hadn't used it in days. "I'd like a word. Right now, if you'd please."

His phone was buzzing in his pocket, and he took it out and threw it towards the sofa without looking at the screen. It landed with a clatter on the floor somewhere, but didn't break; it just went on buzzing.

He paid it no mind, since his sister had materialised in front of him.

"Hey Lu, I'm actually super busy right now - oh. Oh no." Azrael's smile froze on her face when she saw him. "What happened?"

"I don't know yet," he said. "But I intend to find out."

It was a promise, and a threat, and Azrael could read it clearly.

"And how can I help?" she asked.

"Did you take her?" he asked, calmly, considering it answer enough.

"Lu. She was a demon," said Azrael, hesitant, treading carefully because she had always known him well. He was feeling more volatile than he had since - since his Fall, and Azrael could probably see it, too.

"So that's a no, then?" he asked, and it felt like the answer loosened something in his chest. It was easier to breathe, suddenly, and he hadn't even realised he'd been struggling with it until it got better.

"You know they don't have souls. There was nothing for me to take," said Azrael, her voice calm and soothing. He must have seemed unhinged to her.

"I do, yes, thank you. It's just she'd been dealing with Michael - said he promised to give her one," Lucifer replied, giving his sister a bitter smile. "I was fairly certain he was lying. It's not something he should be capable of, after all. I just needed to make sure."

"Michael? No, you know he couldn't. But - why does it matter?" said Azrael, and Lucifer gave her his brightest grin. Judging by the flinch it garnered from her, it wasn't very reassuring.

"Why, I should have no problem bringing her back as it is," he said cheerfully, standing up and turning his back on his sister. "Just a demon and the King of Hell, no pesky complications there. Thank you, Azrael. You can get back to your busy day now."

"Uh, sure, no problem. Are you - should I call Amenadiel, or something?" asked Azrael, her voice a little wobbly. Still afraid for his sanity, then.

"No, thanks. I think it's best if Mazikeen and I have some time alone," said Lucifer, and he could feel the slight gust of wind from Azrael's wings at his back as she took the obvious hint and left.

And then they were alone, him and his chief torturer.

In theory, it should be easy. She was a demon; a being of Hell, and his subject. And he was her Lord, even if he'd let her go; he ruled her realm, and all within it was his to control. And yes, technically, they weren't actually in Hell at the moment. Still, she was of it. Wherever she went, she brought a piece of Hell with her.

And he was Lucifer, the Morning Star, the second most powerful being ever to exist. And he knew, with a conviction as deep as any he had ever held, that this was a matter where even his Father wouldn't dare interfere. Not with his Mazikeen.

And yet his hands still shook when he placed the bloodied blade on his nightstand and lay his palms on Maze's chest. Failure, in this, was not an option that he could even bear to contemplate.

So he took a moment to breathe, to focus, to gather the power he'd largely been ignoring in his retirement. And then he poured it into fixing her.

**

Lucifer would laugh about it later, he was sure.

About how he was so terrified, for her and for himself, of the prospect of what the rest of eternity would look like if he couldn't do it.

How he was so terrified that he found himself crying while he was doing it.

How he was so terrified it felt like there was a heavy weight on his chest and he couldn't hear anything over the rush of blood in his ears.

How he was so relieved at her first, dragged inhale of breath that he collapsed on his knees at her side.

**

"Hello, Mazikeen," Lucifer said when she opened her eyes, and it was a sob, and a laugh. "Welcome back."

"What?" asked Maze, and her voice was faint. "Where am I?"

"At Lux. In my penthouse," said Lucifer, still on his knees by the bed, bringing his right hand to rest on her shoulder to encourage her to keep lying down. The left was already grasping at her hand. "You've had a bit of a rough day, I'm afraid."

"I thought I was going to die," said Maze in a murmur, almost talking to herself. And Lucifer laughed again, a short, cynical laugh.

"You did. Like I said. It's been a bit rough," he told her, but now he was smiling, he couldn't help it, even as he could still feel the tears running down his face. "You'll have a whole new chapter added to your legend at the LAPD."

"How did I - what?"

He couldn't blame her for being confused. He knew it must have been strange for her to wake up in his bed, with him at her bedside when they hadn't seen each other in weeks, when the last thing she knew, she'd been dying in a filthy alley.

"Someone killed you. You'll have to tell me what happened with that, but it's all right, you can take your time. The Detective was called on the scene before they identified you, and that's how I found you. I brought you here and then, well, I brought you back. How are you feeling?"

He could see Maze pausing to take stock; she ran her free hand down her chest, where the leather of her top was torn and stained with blood, but her skin was whole. She put her glamour back up, then, her face resembling a human's again, and pushed herself up, to sit and lean against the headboard of the bed.

Lucifer let her go, and took the moment to wipe at his face and eyes, to get rid of the tears.

"I'm... good. I feel good," said Maze, the wonder clear in her voice. "How did you - _how_?"

"Well, you know me," he said, feeling it easier to fall back on his trademark glibness. "The Lord of Hell will do what he damn well likes."

Maze just stared at him, for a moment. Took him in, the state of him, with her blood on his hands and clothes, kneeling beside her, smiling in his relief, his eyes teary and swollen from crying.

"I think someone wants to talk to you," she said after a long pause, and Lucifer realised his phone was still, insistently, buzzing somewhere on the living room floor.

"Too bad," he said. "I have more important things to do. Would you like a drink? A shower? Change of clothes?"

And finally, _finally_ , Maze smiled at him, and another knot in his chest opened.

"A shower and change first, then multiple drinks," she said, swinging her legs over the side of the bed, and reaching for his hands to pull him up to his feet. "And you could definitely do with that, too."

**

The shower helped Lucifer compose himself again. It eased the shaking of his hands to have them clear of bloodstains again, and whatever anxiety was left vanished when he got to his living room, dressed in a new, pristine suit, to find Mazikeen perched on the couch.

She was wearing one of the dresses she'd left at his place, still barefoot, and playing with his phone. Her hair was still wet, but she'd braided it out of her face, and she hadn't bothered with make up yet.

She didn't have a drink, so he detoured to the bar to grab a bottle and two glasses. He sat next to her, then poured a generous drink first for her, then for himself.

"You know, Decker's called you over twenty times. And texted. She seems worried," said Maze, taking the glass he wordlessly offered and looking at him coolly over the rim.

"Well, I did literally vanish from a murder scene with the body of the victim after declaring it was out of their jurisdiction," replied Lucifer. "I'll explain later, I'm sure she'll be fine."

Maze nearly choked on her drink as she laughed, but then grew serious again when he didn't laugh with her.

"Wait, what, for real?" she asked.

"Excuse me if my best friend of billions of years being wiped out of existence does take priority over avoiding blowing the minds of beat cops," said Lucifer. "I've told you before, Mazikeen, I would never leave you. And I'm telling you now that I would never let you leave me like that, either."

She just stared at him, opening her mouth and then closing it again, at a loss for words.

"You can be angry with me for as long as you wish," Lucifer went on, speaking the words he'd been thinking of ever since he saw her in that alley, "about Lilith and the whole soul business and everything. And maybe I deserve that, it's fine. I am sorry, and I'll apologise again when you want to hear it. But I give you my word, Mazikeen, that for as long as I live I will be there to help you whenever you need it. And that no one will ever be erasing your existence, unless you choose to do it yourself."

If his voice broke over the apology, he was fairly sure she would let it slide, this once.

"Thank you," said Maze, calmly, solemnly. "My Lord."

"Now tell me," said Lucifer, "who do I need to incinerate?"

**

There were some aspects to his person that some could consider faults, Lucifer would admit; he could be selfish, and shortsighted, and above all, he had a certain flair for the dramatic.

And it was his love of drama that had him grinning at the hush that landed over the bullpen when he escorted Mazikeen to the LAPD precinct to meet with Chloe, Daniel and Miss Lopez.

He had known he must have caused something of a stir with his disappearing act, but the sight of Mazikeen showing up, whole and healthy, had them all standing still and staring. It was almost as if someone had stopped time; the complete silence was only broken by the clicking of Maze's heels on the stairs.

They came to a stop at the bottom of the stairs, standing arm in arm.

"I told you there was a mistake," Lucifer said finally, after he'd properly enjoyed the dramatic pause, making sure to pitch his voice loud and clear to be heard across the room. "So go on, then. As you were."

And slowly, the other people in the room got back to their business - and Miss Lopez came running out of her lab, Chloe and Daniel following her at a more sedate pace.

"Maze! Lucifer! Oh my God!" Miss Lopez cried out, wrapping them both in an awkward group hug. "How did you pull that off? Where'd you go? And - just - what the hell?"

"I did intend to explain, yes," said Lucifer. "Might we get some more privacy first?"

And he gently pushed Miss Lopez away and led the way to the empty meeting room, where, as soon as the door had closed, the Detective finally found her voice again.

"We saw Maze dead, Lucifer, and you just took off with her! You didn't answer your phone for over an hour, and then you texted _meet at precinct, all OK_? Do you have any idea how worried we've been?" She had her arms folded across her chest, but her eyes and voice were clear. "Are you really all right? Both of you?"

"Good as new, Decker," said Maze, grinning as she took a seat on a chair Lucifer pulled out for her on the far side of the table.

"Yes, quite," agreed Lucifer. "Sorry about the lack of contact. I was a bit busy."

"That's a relief," said Miss Lopez with a laugh. "'Cause I gotta say, man, you were looking a little unhinged for a moment there. And obviously it's awesome that Maze is alive! Just - _how_?"

"The Lord of Hell can do what he damn well likes," said Maze, her grin now taking on a wicked edge.

"That is so not an explanation," said Miss Lopez, but she was still laughing. Daniel, next to her, collapsed into a chair.

"Can he? Can you? Is that just - what, you snap your fingers and she's alive again? Could you do that to anyone?" asked Dan, and Lucifer went to close the blinds, to give them more privacy from prying eyes.

"Well, she's a special case. Demon and all," said Lucifer. "Please, Detective, Miss Lopez, have a seat." And he pulled out chairs for them, too, before walking back around the table to sit next to Maze. "And there's no finger snapping involved, I assure you."

"Okay, I feel like this is taking the method acting a bit too far," said Miss Lopez, glancing at each of the people around the table in turn; Maze, still grinning, Lucifer, calmly and expectantly looking back at her, and Chloe and Dan, who were both a little pale and entirely serious. "Right, guys?"

"I think you've come close enough to the truth already to believe it, Miss Lopez," said Lucifer. "I've told you, I'm not a method actor. And I've never lied to you. Miss Lopez. Ella. I am actually the Devil, and Maze really is a demon. That's how she's alive now, and that's how I took her from the crime scene earlier. I could do those things, and more besides, because that's who I am."

She shook her head quietly, and Lucifer went on. "And Rae-Rae dropped by, as well. Would you like me to ask her to come see you, too?"

"You know her?" asked Miss Lopez, eyes widening.

"She's my sister. Azrael," said Lucifer, then leaned back in his chair to watch the realisation sink in.

"It's okay, Ella, take your time," said Chloe, offering a comforting hand, which Ella, now pale as a ghost, immediately grasped. "Lucifer, you said before that there's nobody on Earth who could have killed Maze. But she did die, didn't she?"

"Yes. Turns out it was entirely my jurisdiction, as I put it earlier," said Lucifer, turning to her and leaving Miss Lopez to her world-view altering thoughts. "Azazel, another demon. One of the Fallen."

"Coward hired a sniper and had me shot before he had the guts to face me," grumbled Maze beside him. "I could've taken him if he hadn't."

"But Hell was supposed to be safe now," said Chloe, a tremble in her voice. "You said so. You said it doesn't need to be guarded anymore. If there's demons coming to Earth again, does it mean you have to go back?"

"No, darling," said Lucifer, offering her a comforting smile. "Azazel is a special case, and he'll be dealt with very shortly."

"We came by because Lucifer thought you might need to see for yourself that I'm fine," said Maze. "And to tell you that you should call off the search for the killer. You don't want to find him, and we'll handle it, anyway."

"Right. It is really good to see you, Maze. We're all so glad you're okay," said Chloe, taking a deep breath. "Thank you, Lucifer."

He gave her another smile in response.

"Will you look after Miss Lopez? I'm sure she'll have questions, and I will be available to answer them later, if she'd like me to be," he said.

"Of course, yeah," said Chloe. "I'll try to keep the murder plots to a minimum, this time."

"Thank you, Detective," said Lucifer, at the same time as Miss Lopez asked, "Who's plotted his murder?"

"I think I'll leave you to answer that, Detective, Daniel," said Lucifer with a quick flash of a grin, "and go make an example out of a demon."

"Be careful, please," said the Detective, and Maze scoffed.

"That asshole is not getting lucky twice, don't worry," she said.

She and Lucifer were already to the door of the meeting room when he paused and turned back.

"May I drop by this evening, Detective?" he asked, slightly hesitant, but he needn't have worried.

"Of course. I look forward to it."

**

Azazel was pathetic, thought Lucifer, even for a demon.

He was an oily, snivelling bastard, driven insane by the Fall, and when summoned to Lucifer's penthouse by his Lord, he collapsed into a heap on the floor and couldn't move, only weep. Lucifer was standing by the bar, sipping a drink, and Maze was perched on the bar stool next to him.

"I'm sorry, my king," keened Azazel, sounding pained even though neither Lucifer nor Maze had touched him. "I heard Mazikeen of the Lilim was plotting against you! I only wanted to serve my Lord and Master! I didn't know it would upset you!"

"Don't lie to me, you maggot," sneered Lucifer. "You've never voluntarily served me in your life, and you don't ever do anything at all unless there's something obvious in it for you."

"Did you think it'd help you get the throne?" asked Maze, twirling her blades as she spoke. One of them was still stained in her blood. "You're a demon, but you used to be an angel. If Dromos could come up with the idea of replacing Lucifer, I'm sure it's crossed your mind, too. Did you think you were up for the job?"

"No! Not me! There's factions again, saying the Morning Star has grown weak," cried Azazel, "but not me, I wouldn't dare! But they say he's soft, from his time with the mortals."

"And still you lie to me," said Lucifer, putting his drink down. "I think I've had quite enough of this."

There was brief, brilliant flash of light, and the weeping demon on the floor had turned into a neat pile of ash. Mazikeen sat up straighter, surprised.

"I didn't think you were actually going to _incinerate_ him," she said, awed and exhilarated.

"Didn't I say I would?" asked Lucifer, keeping his voice casual, even though just the sight of the traitorous bastard that had nearly destroyed Mazikeen for good had flared up the earlier rage again. "Do you think I should've been less... thorough? Perhaps if I'd left something a bit more easily identifiable behind, it would've helped drive home the point."

"And what point is that?" asked Maze.

"That I meant it, when I said Earth was off limits. That you're also off limits. And that I'm not so soft that I'll let transgressions pass," said Lucifer. "Maybe I should've clipped his wings, first."

"Send home the ashes in a labeled jar, I think they'll get it," said Maze slowly, taking another long look at him. "Are you okay? Honestly?"

Lucifer moved to sit at the piano, but didn't lift the cover off the keys.

"I will be," he said, and he believed it, too. "I only find myself wondering what could have been. If the Detective hadn't called me. If I hadn't found you today."

Maze silently moved to sit next to him on the bench, and he wordlessly made more room for her.

"And you know, as long as we're being honest... I've been thinking about souls, too," he went on, staring blankly at the piano instead of looking at her. "I could... try, if you really want one. I don't think Father would ever - but I could. Maybe. I can't make something out of nothing, but there's plenty of material in the universe. But I'd like to know, first. Why were you so desperate to have one?"

"Just... soulmates," said Mazikeen faintly. "I just wanted a connection."

"I see," said Lucifer, suddenly feeling so very old. "That was what your mother wanted, too."

"Are we going to talk about her, now?" asked Maze. "I thought you gave your word not to."

"I didn't say I would never discuss her at all," said Lucifer. "And I think perhaps we should. Because, do you know, Lilith was my oldest friend? Outside of my siblings, that is, and you know how close they are to me, now."

"Yes," said Maze shortly. "She was always your favorite, wasn't she?"

"No," refuted Lucifer instantly. "I felt like she understood me. That she was the first person who did. She was cast out of her home for refusing to bow down, for refusing to be considered worth less, and I recognised something of myself in her. Or something of her in myself. And then she gave me a gift I don't think I could have ever repaid her, even if it was somewhat self-serving."

"What was it?" asked Maze, prodding him carefully when he fell silent.

"You," said Lucifer, turning to face her. "Well, all her children. But you must know, Mazikeen. By now, you must know how important you are to me."

They sat in silence for a long, heavy moment.

"You've said before that I've taken you for granted," said Lucifer, still looking into her eyes. "And I am more sorry than I can say, that I've made you feel that way. That you thought I'd gone to Hell and abandoned you here on purpose, and that you think I'd have kept your mother from you if I'd known you were looking for her. I'm sorry I made you believe you weren't ever a priority to me."

Maze had to clear her throat before she could speak.

"Why didn't you ask me to come with you?" she said, feeling her voice crack.

"I was a coward," said Lucifer, with a short, broken laugh. "I thought you'd say no. Why would you have given up being Auntie Maze just for me? And it was bad enough, having to go there at all. If I'd had to stay there alone, for thousands of years, with the memory of you telling me that you didn't want to come..." He was quiet for a moment. "I was so sure that you'd just ask Amenadiel to bring you over, eventually. When Linda could spare you, and you'd had enough of Earth again."

"I would have, probably," said Maze. "Once I got over myself."

"Good. It was bloody awful without you," replied Lucifer, looking back at the piano, leaving her to stare at the side of his face.

They were quiet for a moment again.

"And I am sorry about dismissing your questions about getting a soul. I meant it when I said that," said Lucifer finally. "I shouldn't have said you're just a demon. You're not inferior to anyone, and I didn't mean to imply that you were."

"I got the feeling that you didn't want me to have one," said Maze. "I mean, I didn't appreciate being told that I was insignificant, either. But I think I was just as upset about that part."

"Well, I... I didn't think it was entirely a good idea," said Lucifer. "I don't know what would happen to you, if you had one and then wanted to return to Hell. I think you might be stuck in a loop. And can you imagine if the word got out, of Mazikeen of the Lilim, trapped in a loop of her own?"

Maze made a face at the idea.

"Exactly," said Lucifer. "Like I said, I will try, if you want. But I don't think that's something we'd ever be able to take back. So I'd like you to think it through very carefully, first."

"Yeah," said Maze, nodding slowly. "I think you have a point, there."

"And... maybe it's selfish of me to say this," said Lucifer. "But you shouldn't need a soul to find the kind of connection you're after. I told you, you're not inferior to anyone, and you shouldn't have to change who you are to find someone."

He paused again, hesitating.

"I love you for who you are," he said finally, and Maze let out a sob and buried her face in his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer, and let her have a moment.

"As long as we're being honest," she said finally, not looking up. "I'm sorry about Michael. That I let him get to me. And that I let him use me against you."

"I got over it already," said Lucifer, giving her a gentle squeeze. "Don't worry about it."

"And I don't mind that you put Decker first most of the time," said Maze. "Not anymore, really. I mean, I know what she means to you. And I know how afraid you are, of not having enough time with her."

"Thank you, Mazikeen," said Lucifer.

"Just don't completely forget about me, okay?" she asked.

"After the scare you gave me today, you'll be lucky if I let you out of my sight for the next three hundred years or so," said Lucifer, and Maze laughed. "You think I'm joking, but you'll see."

"Yeah, sure," said Maze, rising to sit up straight.

"Enough of the heart to heart?" asked Lucifer.

"Yes. Let's never do this again," said Maze, laughing still.

**

That evening, Lucifer brought Maze along with him when he made his promised visit to the Detective's home. The demon happily joined Beatrice to pick a movie for all of them to watch, while Lucifer went with the Detective, ostensibly to grab a bottle of wine from the kitchen.

"How's Miss Lopez?" asked Lucifer, to break the awkward silence that descended upon them when he was left alone with Chloe.

"She's handling it okay," said Chloe. "She was going to write down all her questions for you, the last I saw her. She had a lot."

"I can imagine," said Lucifer. "So. You said you wanted wine? White or red?"

"I wanted a moment with you, honestly," said Chloe, taking a step closer and putting her hands on his chest. "You scared me, today."

He couldn't help freezing at her words.

"No, I didn't mean - I'm not afraid of you, I promise," said Chloe hurriedly, correctly reading the direction of his thoughts. "I mean, I am a bit shocked at how much you can actually do. And I keep being surprised at - at how old you really are. I mean, you said you'd been friends with Maze for billions of years? And I know you meant it, so, yeah, wow."

"I didn't mean to frighten you. Again," said Lucifer quietly.

"I know, and you didn't. I was afraid for you. You were taking it pretty badly, at the scene," said Chloe. "And then you didn't answer your phone. I was just worried."

"Well, it's like you said," Lucifer said slowly. "I'm very old. And unless my Father decides to wipe me out of existence, I have a very long lifespan ahead of me, still. And I realised quite suddenly that I hadn't considered... how that future might look like, if Mazikeen wasn't in it at all."

Chloe stepped closer still, and wrapped her arms around him in a hug that he gratefully accepted, burying his face in her hair and breathing in deeply.

"I'm so glad you have her," Chloe whispered against his chest. "I'm so glad you don't have to be alone. I mean, of course I'm happy for her sake, too. It's good you have each other."

And Lucifer couldn't bring himself to respond, just breathed in the scent of her hair. Because he knew, as did Maze, that while he could bring back his demon at least this once, he was still going to lose all his beloved humans, sooner or later.

And Dad wasn't going to object to him resurrecting Mazikeen, but He'd meant for mortals to die, and going around resurrecting them would most likely mean a war with Heaven. Again.

And Lucifer had retired from Hell because he was so, so tired, and had wanted no more fighting.

But for now, he was happy, and in love, and had his Detective, his demon, Beatrice, a nice bottle of wine and Jurassic Park.

For now, all was well.

**Author's Note:**

> ("The Lord of Hell will do what he damn well likes" I obviously quoted straight out of Sandman.)


End file.
